Chapter 41: Lightning Tribulation (2)

'What the fuck are you doing here?!!!'

Philip said in his mind as he can't move his mouth due to the world that he is in now.

The black figure tried to move closer to Philip but eventually stopped when it felt the intense killing intent that Philip was releasing. Yet, another chat bubble popped up above its head.

{😓}

The black figure bent its head downward as if it was hurt at being rejected. It turned its back and walked away while chat bubble kept popping up above its head.

{😊}

{😗}

{🙂}

The black figure then merrily skipped away and disappeared in the distance like a bubble.

{🤔}

After all that weirdness, Philip's killing intent still hasn't dissipated, it only became worse as the black figure got away. Many questions appeared in his mind as to why it showed up here when the system "stopped" the world around him. He can't see around him that much because it was still blurry, but he could see mild and slow flashes of light from the clouds above. Then, the system finally gave him answers, the third voice, a robotic girl voice and an angelic voice at the same time.

『 You have met with Unknown and she left you. Sword Realm has been completed. Preparing simulation and visualization. Intense pain incoming. 』

There was not much answers that the system gave, but to Philip, it was enough. It seems that the black figure was Unknown itself. Although he knew who or what that black figure is, he is still angry at it for hurting Emily earlier and he needs to fight with it first then talk if it is capable of talking.

『 3... 2... 1... 』

The angelic voice started to countdown to initialize the 『 Sword Realm 』. Philip prepared himself because the system warned him that it will be painful.

『 Commencing! 』

Then, a wooden sword appeared in front of Philip. The sword was familiar, very familiar. In fact, it was his training sword during his training days in the path of a master swordsman.

'What's it doing here?'

Philip asked with a trembling voice in his head, it was obvious that the effects of the 5th gate is still opened. Then, common sword appeared around Philip. From a rapier to an iron sword, a katana, long sword, short sword, claymore, it keeps multiplying. There are at least one sword of each kind.

After a few seconds, the area around Philip was filled with millions of kinds of swords. There was even a giant sword in a distance and probably a sword bigger than the Earth as he viewed in the sky.

If viewed from space, the whole Solar System is filles with an infinite number of swords! Ranging from small ones and bigger ones the size of Jupiter or the Sun.

Philip was supposed to be oggling with all these kinds of swords because of his love from the sword, but it changed when the wooden sword pointed towards him.

The other swords followed suit and pointed againsts Philip. He was pointed from all directions, including in space and up to the edge of the Solar System.

Philip had a bad feeling, he couldn't move at all and can't dodge these if it ever stab him. He then waited for the worst.

『 Initialize. 』

The wooden sword thrusted towards Philip and stabbed him easily at his abdomen. A katana then stabbed him from his back and out of his left lung. A giant sword the same size as him then fell from the sky and stabbed him from his chest causing the giant sword to easily pierce through him and stab to the ground. Countless and countless smaller swords them came along as they stabbed Philip from everywhere, including needles.

Philip couldn't scream and open his mouth, but in his mind, he was screaming like crazy. He was almost losing consciousness but he kept fighting.

Then, the giant sword the size of the Sun stabbed him.

~~~

Erica and company was watching Philip all this time. They were confused when Philip was standing still after he deflected the green lightning.

"What do you think happened to him??"

John asked the others.

"I don't know, maybe the green lightning was too much for him?"

Smith answered.

"But that's impossible, he easily split the lightning apart."

While Erica and company was speculating at what happened to Philip. In Philip's mind, a certain someone was screaming at Philip.

「 PHILIP!!! PHILIIIIPP!!!! 」

It has been a while since Emily was screaming at Philip only to receive no response. Emily was confused at first after Philip deflected the green lightning. There was also no notification that said that Philip received something from the green lightning. Everything was odd and bizarre.

Then, from Philip's left hand, three shard came out and revolved around Philip's head while spinning and rotating.

「 What the? What's happening?? 」

It was then, Philip's body released an overbearing aura that even reach Erica and the others. Golden aura surged out of him and the wind became chaotic around him. The platform also cracked beneath his feet.

[9 Gates of Wrath: 5th gate opened]

Then, there was an explosion around him as his ivory armor grew spikes around his body. His eyes were intensely glowing gold in his right eye and green in his left eye while small lightning came out of his eyes with their respective colors.

「 Overload? Philip?!! What are you doing?? 」

Yes, Emily was right, Philip has used 「 Overload 」 but Philip was not doing this in his own will, it was his body reacting to something.

Meanwhile, Erica and the others were complaining.

"Doesn't Philip getting overboard again?!!"

"I don't know!! Something is not right!!"

The sky then loudly crackled and thundered as it seem that it felt that it was being challenged by the challenger of the tribulation on the ground. It was time for the next level.

*CRACKLE-BOOM*

*CRACK-CRACK-THOOM*

Then, the 「 Blue Lighting 」 intensely struck down towards Philip. It danced in the air as it travelled down towards him. But then, the lightning was stopped midway as if there was an invisible forcefield that was blocking it a few feet away from Philip's head.

The Blue Lighting travelled around Philip as it also branched into four as if it was crushing Philip. But nonetheless, there was an invisible barrier around him, more likely, an invisible sphere of barrier.

The Blue Lightning was frustrated that it had nowhere to go through Philip. It then decided to flow towards the ground and let itself be deflected.

The Blue Lightning then traveled around the ground as it seemed to electrify the ground, it even reached the hiding place of Erica and company. But before Erica and the other could react, the lighting already reached them. They closed their eyes and waited to be electrocuted.

But to their surprise, the lightning was also deflected by the same invisible sphere of barrier around them thus protecting them from the lightning.

Erica looked at Philip's appearance, the revolving shard around his head, the golden aura, and white spiky armor.

"Has he come back?"

The answer is no as Emily had also asked him if he was back but she received no answer.

[Congratulations! You have deflected 「 Intense Static Lightning 」]

Emily sighed as she still read the information about the blue lightning even though Philip couldn't hear her.

「 Intense Static Lightning. The lightning that formed from the collision of pulsars. The one that powers. 」

[You have received an exclusive item for the variable of Dimension, 「 Dimension Crystal 」]

「 Dimension Crystal. A passive item located at your left thigh. This is the catalyst and proof that you are not bound by the rules of the Dimensions anymore. That also means, you can enter the Infinite Abyss anytime, given that you obtain the variable of the Universe first. 」

Philip didn't gave a response at Emily's explanation signifying that his mind was somewhere. Emily became more and more worried.

Then, the dark clouds became angry as it made booming sounds. It didn't sound like a lightning at this point as there was no crackling sounds or thundering noise. There was only a boom and a rumble.

*BOOM*

*BANG*

*BRANG*

Erica and company couldn't help but become scared at the unusual sounds above the clouds. The clouds became different from the lighter grey earlier, but this time, it became a whole lot darker as if it was night time.

Then, purple light converged from the clouds to the center in a radial manner. This kept repeating until the covergence of the the purple light became faster and faster. Occasional purple sparks could be seen in the center of the clouds where Philip was directly below it. And then,

*BOOOOOOOM*

An explosive sound occured as the 「 Violet Lightning 」 came down towards Philip. This lightning was peculiar, it didn't travelled down like most of the previous lightning, but it came down like an orbital strike from a satellite in the atmosphere. The diameter of the lightning strike was enough to cover a few meters around the area of Philip.

John and Smith had to immediately stand up and pulled Erica further away from the site.

As the lightning came towards Philip, something was happening within Philip.

「 Ugh! 」

Emily groaned in pain as if she was just bumped and then, the Agium Sword was released from the back of Philip.

The Agium Sword drastically changed after Emily started bombarding it with countless energy blasts inside Philip. Before, it was a baseball bat, but now, it looked like an ordinary iron sword. It comes to show that the Agium Sword was being sharpened with energy from projectiles.

But who was controlling the Agium Sword now? It was Philip's body. The sword hovered above Philip and pointed towards the incoming lighting beam.

And then, the violet lightning came in contact with Agium Sword. As many would have thought, the lightning beam should have engulfed the sword and Philip altogether. But, the thick violet lightning converged towards the sword as if it was sucking the lighting. In reality, the sword was absorbing the energy of lightning projectile.

As the violet lightning kept striking down, the Agium Sword showed changes to its appearance. From once an ordinary iron sword, it became thinner and more narrow. Its sharpness is being heightened to an exponential degree.

After a few seconds, a lightning stopped and the Agium Sword was revealed. The Agium Sword successfully deflected the violet lightning. The sword then came down and went back inside Philip. Even though the sword was exposed to the intense violet lightning, it showed no signs of change in color due to temperature. It's temperature was same as before.

Did the Agium Sword achieve Infinite Sharpness? Not yet, it's close, but not yet.

[Congratulations! You have deflected 「 Magna Carinae Lightning 」]

「 Magna Carinae Lightning. The lightning that formed from supernovas and hypernovas. The one that obliterates. 」

[You have received abilities of 「 Big Bang 」 and 「 Big Crunch 」]

「 Big Bang. Destroy the universe. You can release all energy that you possess and cause an explosion to destroy everything around you. 」

「 Big Crunch. Reset the universe. You can compress and condense all energy around you in a single spot and absorb it for yourself or release it. 」

「 The abilities that you are receiving are getting more and more absurd huh? 」

There was still no reply from Philip.

「 Not that I'm complaining. You need that later. 」

There was still no response.

「 C'mon Philip, come back. 」

Emily said in a rather troubling tone where she seems to start to cry.

Then suddenly, Philip kneeled and opened his mouth wide. Finally, Philip managed to wake up but there was no sound coming out of his mouth. In actuality, Philip was screaming, but he was screaming in his mind causing Emily to be in pain.

「 Aagh! Philip!! Philiiiip! 」

Then, Philip abruptly stopped and stared in empty space. He seemed to snap out when he heard Emily's voice. A tear formed on his right eye that is colored gold.

"I-I'm s-sorry... E-Emily..."

Philip apologized to Emily and she responded in a panting voice.

"I-It's okay, what happened to you?"

Before Philip could speak, he coughed out blood, tons of them. Then as if that was the cue, the clouds turned white but the surroundings were stll dark as the night. It was a sight to see two contrasting aspects.

A shearing sound could be heard from above the clouds as white streaks of light travelled around the center of the clouds.

*SHIIIING*

*SHIIIIIIIIINGG*